The Messenger
by CosmicProportions
Summary: Hinata is assigned to be the messenger between the Leaf and Sand. What will happen between her and Gaara? What are the important messages she will have to take? Read and Review! Eventual lemon...
1. Prologue

The Messenger –Prologue-

A single lamp light was burning in the Hokage's office. On the maple table that she worked on, there was a bottle of sake, half way full, amongst the strewn papers and scrolls.

The blonde woman scrawled on a piece of paper.

**Must transfer info w/ Kaze through Shinobi intel**

She placed the piece on top of the other papers and sighed. She needed sleep. Tsunade turned off the light and left the office.

***

The rising sun woke Hinata up. Hyuugas tended to rise with the sun and fall with the moon. She yawned and looked out the window. Neji was up earlier than she was, as always. Also as always, Tenten was out his side, doing Taichi in the dewy grass of the courtyard.

They're a low-key kind of couple, thought Hinata. Unlike Naruto and Sasuke. It was almost blaringly obvious they were together. She wouldn't be surprised if they ran off together.

Hinata still felt that longing in her gut for Naruto, but she knew it could never work out. Naruto would probably get on her nerves after a while. And also the fact that he loved a man… that was the other thing.

The Hyuuga sighed, and pulled herself out of bed.

After getting dressed, Hinata left the Hyuuga mansion, aimlessly strolling.

Suddenly, a black figure in a mouse mask stood in front of her.

"Hyuuga-san. The Hokage has asked for you." Said a voice Hinata knew.

"Hello, Papa." She said quietly.

"Hello, Hinata. You're improving." He chuckled.

"Well, voices like yours are pretty easy to recognize, Papa." She replied. Her father had a gruff, deep tone, almost like if sandpaper talked.

"I'll see you later, Papa." Hinata said, showing a small smile.

"See you." The man disappeared, and Hinata kept walking. She saw Shikamaru and Temari discussing the latest strategies in chess. Naruto was walking with a limp with Sasuke to the Ramen Bar. And of course, Kakashi was in a corner, reading that disgusting book of his.

Eventually, Hinata reached the large building that was the Hokage's office.

She opened the large wooden door, entering to the winding staircase that led to the office where Lady Tsunade worked.

After climbing the stairs, (you'd think they would've invented an elevator by now). She finally got to the office. Hinata knocked quietly, just like everything else she did.

The door opened with a creak.

"Hello, Hinata-chan." Tsuade said, not loking up from her work.

"An ANBU sent me." She whispered.

"Yes, yes. I have an important missionr for you." Tsunade poured two shots of sake. She held one up for Hinata, wanting her to take it.

"Sorry, I- I don't drink." Hinata stumbled. Tsunade shrugged.

"More for me. Anyways, I have an important mission for you. As you might now, there has been some trouble brewing in the Akatsuki. We want our allies in Suna to be in the know about what we're doing.

Hinata bowed her head, knowing what was coming next.

"So, I want you to go to Suna every night and relay messages to the Kazekage." Tsunade ordered.

Hinata gasped. The Kazekage? That was Gaara of the Sand!

"This is an A-Ranked mission. And it starts tonight, Hinata-chan." Tsunade threw the second shot of sake down her throat as she handed a slip of paper to her.

Hinata nodded, placing the paper in her front pocket.

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade. I will be on my way now." She almost whispered. Tsunade nodded and waved her off while she poured another glass of sake for herself.


	2. Chapter 1

The Messenger-Chapter 1

Later that night, Hyuuga Hinata left Konahakugure for her specially assigned mission. She was to relay mission She was to relay messages to the Kazekage, Gaara, every night.

She flew through the trees, thinking about the first time she met Gaara. It was during the Chuunin exams, and she saw him kill two-maybe three- men without a scratch on him. The memory was chilling.

Finally, as the sun was setting, she began to see the desert and the village in the distance. She would have to walk the rest of the way. Trudging along in the sand, Hinata realized that she knew little to nothing about Gaara. Well nothing important, rather. Sure, he was Kazekage, and he used to have a sand demon inside of him, but did he have a personal life? She doubted it. He didn't have any emotions, after all.

Hinata finally reached the Sand village when the moon had risen high in the sky. She passed through the gates unnoticed, and jumped building to building, until she saw the house with the sand symbol on the front.

Hinata lept from the building closest to the open third story window, and jumped through. She landed with a thump, as she wasn't the most graceful Hyuuga in the clan.

A gruff voiced asked, "Who's there?" Hinata bowed her head

"I-I am Hyuuga Hinata, I was sent with a message,"she stumbled.

"Ah, Hyuuga-san." A man with messy red hair came out of an adjoining room.

"Hello, Kazekage-sama." Hinata turned a bright red, almost the same color as Gaara's hair, and pressed her index fingers together in embarrassment.

Gaara was a tall, slender man, with pale skin that was almost translucent. Head sharp, ice blue eyes that were surrounded by what looked like eyeliner, but were really marks of the demon tanuki that was once inside thing him.

But the thing that was making Hinata blush was the fact that Gaara was wearing nothing but his bright white briefs.

"What are you doing?"Gaara asked bluntly, as Hinata was still doing the thing with her fingers. Hinata gasped, putting her hands behind her back and turning an even deeper red.

"I-I guess it's the thing I do when I'm nervous..." she said quietly.

"That's strange. I've never felt nervous before,"Gaara said, leaning against a wall. "So, a message."

Hinata fumbled for the piece of paper that had the message. She held the paper in front of her face and read, "Our ANBU intel has reached a conclusion that the Akatsuki is planning to raid the Sand Village," Hinata kept looking downwards, staring straight at Gaara's underwear.

"I'm sorry, Kazekage-sama, but can you please put some clothes on?" she said in an outburst. Gaara looked down.

"Well, Hyuuga-san, I was about to take a shower before you came in," Gaara said coldly.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, then," Hinata took a step backwards, feeling a shiver run down her back from Gaara's voice.

"If that's all you have for me, Hyuuga-san, then you may leave." Gaara told her.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama. I'll be on my way..." Hinata bowed.

"And please, call me Gaara. Kazekage sounds so old." Gaara stepped back into the room that he came out of, probably the bathroom.

"Ok, Gaara-san." She obeyed, and climbed out through the window.

***

Gaara sighed. The Hyuuga girl was certainly quiet. Even more than Tsunade had said. He took off his briefs and turned the knob on the shower. He wondered how Kankuro was, more importantly, _where_ he was. He ran off a few months ago. His brother had said something about how he could never stay here when his lover was so far away.

Gaara thought that this was very strange. He didn't even know who Kankie's partner.

After testing out the water, Gaara stepped into the shower. He let the warm water drench him completely as he thought.

At least he knew where Temari was. She was happily married to Shikamaru, and from what he had heard, had a little baby on the way.

He was happy for her, well, as happy as he could be without any emotions to be happy with. He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. Gaara realized then that he was the only one of his siblings to not spend their lives with someone special. He didn't like the seclusion. Gaara wanted someone to spend his life with. More than power, more than blood.

He slumped his shoulders, finding no reason to even put a a towel on and walked to his kitchen to eat some cookies.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two- The Messenger

Hinata woke up in a cold sweat. She dreamed of those ice blue eyes, able to seduce, intimidate, and frighten at the same time. She couldn't stop thinking about Gaara's eyes.

A knock on her bedroom door took Hinata out of her trance.

"Come in," she said. The door opened quickly.

"Hinata-chan!" Neji cried. Hinata was surprised, Neji never acted this happy, unless there was something amazing happening. Neji rushed up his cousin's bed. He smiled very widely and said, "I'm going to be a father!"

"That's great, Neji-kun! Did you just find out?" Hinata hugged him warmly and kissed him on the cheek.

"Well, I guess she knew, but she didn't want to tell me until a special day. TenTen told me that she's about a month along, I think," he answered.

"Tell her that I wish her the best, Neji." Neji nodded and ran to someone else's room to tell them the great news.

She reached for her purple jacket and left her bedroom putting it on. Hinata walked to the kitchen, still able to hear Neji screaming about his newfound parental status. Her mother and father were already in the kitchen, eating contentedly as the lower branch Hyuuga cook served them coffee.

"Thank you, sister," Hinata's father said, reading the daily newspaper. Hinata's aunt smiled weakly, but Hinata could clearly see a disgusted look in her milky white eyes.

"Hello, Hinata-chan. How was your mission last night?"her father looked from his paper and smiled.

"Good morning, papa. Kazekage-sama was, um, very interesting." Hinata bowed her head and unconsciously turned red.

"Was he cute? I've never seen him in person." Hinata's mother jumped into the conversation. After seeing a lower branch member get married before her daughter did, Hinata's mother was always pushing her to find a man.

"Mother!" Hinata yelped, turning even redder. Her father chuckled, sipping his drink. Hinata took a piece of fruit from the bowl on the counter and said goodbye to her parents before walking out the front door.

Hinata walked all the way to her favorite meadow, filled with pink and yellow wildflowers and one lone sakura tree at the top of a hill. She climbed up the grassy field, humming a tune at random. At first, she forgot what the title to song was.

"Oh," she muttered to herself, "Recollections." After Hinata's hike, she sat under her favorite sakura tree, expecting a certain dog boy to jump from the branches. Him and Hinata would always catch up under the sakura tree. Once, Hinata tried to go in for the kiss, but Kiba pushed her away, saying that he liked Shino. Of course the only guy she liked besides Naruto was also gay.

"Kiba-kun? You there?" she said quietly. There was no answer, obviously. Any good ninja wouldn't even dare answering that question. Except for maybe Ino when she was drunk. Or even sober. What Konohamaru saw in her was beyond Hinata.

Suddenly, she heard a rustle in the branches. Probably just the wind, she thought. Then Hinata felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She gasped and turned around.

"Kiba-kun!"she exclaimed. Kiba grinned his toothy smile and gave her a bear, well dog, hug.

"It's been a long time, Hinata-chan," Kiba said happily. Akamau, not far behind, gave a warm bark.

Kibi told Hinata about his journeys with Shino, and how they saw the world's largest sword and stayed with a creepy old man that strangely reminded them of Jiriah and how Akamaru met a lady dog and even got into some sick details about what he and Shino did at night.

"Kiba, stop. That's just sick," Hinata held her hand to his mouth, shaking her head.

"Oh, but the bugs give you such a rush!" he yelled. Hinata put her hand over her friend's mouth.

"No. Don't want to know." Hinata stopped him.

"Ok, Ok. Hey, the sun's going down pretty fast. Shouldn't you be getting home?" Kiba asked with concern.

"Oh!" Hinata yelped, getting up out of the grass abruptly. "I do have to go, Kiba. It's a mission. I'll talk to you soon." She said before running off into the forest.

Hinata jumped through Gaara's window just as the moon had risen in the sky. She looked around the room, trying to avert her gaze from the Kazekage sitting in a chair in front of her.

His walls were a deep tan, and they were covered in art. He had lit some candles, and had some music playing that she recognized. The paintings were mostly abstract, but Hinata noticed that the portraits were all of sleeping people. Finally, she gathered enough courage to look at Gaara.

"Good evening, Gaara-san." Hinata mumbled, already turning red.

"Good evening. I stayed dressed for you this time, I hope you noticed." Gaara said with a little humor in his voice.

"Oh, yes, thank you." Hinata pushed her fingers together. "So, your art. It's very pretty. Did you-"

"May I have the message from Tsunade-sama? I don't think we have time for small talk." Hinata blushed even further, fumbling for the slip of paper in her jacket pocket.

She grabbed it and read, "Kakashi-san spotted a person in Akatsuki garb heading towards your village."

"Ah." Gaara said, his brow furrowing. "Thank you for the message. You may be on you way." he swept his hand in gesture.

"Yes. I will see you tomorrow night with another message." Hinata said dutifully, climbing out the window.

"Oh, and the art? I made it all. Being an insomniac and all, you have some free time." Gaara said quickly before Hinata left. Her mouth turned into a minuscule smile, and her cheeks a cherry red.

"Goodbye, Gaara-san." Hinata whispered and jumped out the window.


	4. Chapter 3

The Messenger – Chapter Three

Gaara sighed as Hinata left, sitting on the windowsill watching her back. He was frustrated at himself for trying to be humorous. He didn't even know how to be funny! He walked to his stereo and shuffled the old cassette tapes around, looking for a specific classical tune. The tape itself was dusty and about to fall to pieces. Someone had ripped half of the label off of the tape. It was probably him, considering that the tape he was looking for was a composition by his father, the last Kazekage. He opened the slot and placed the tape in. The familiar clunk of the play button as he pushed it down soothed his newfound frustration.

"Ah..." he moaned, sinking back into his red leather chair in the corner of his living room and closing his eyes. He let the piano's soft melody envelope his body and mind. As the violin entered the song with a roaring crescendo, he saw the peaceful face that had graced his presence for the past two nights. Gaara frowned and opened and closed his eyes again. All he could think about was her face. Her raven black hair, her rice paper pale skin, and of course, her milky white eyes that hypnotized him with every glance. He rose from the maroon chair and walked to his kitchen. The cabinet was empty, except for a lone jar of queso that he had been wary about eating until right now. He was too hungry to care. Also, food would occupy him and his thoughts.

***

Hinata walked up to the front gate to look up to a sleeping Genma, one who was supposedly on watch duty. He snorted into his sleep and waved his hand a bit.

Hinata assumed that meant she could enter the gate.

Walking into the village, she spotted Kakashi and Sakura stumbling out of a bar together. In the back of her head she remembered that Rock Lee and Sakura were supposed to be together. She neared the couple and didn't bother to ask questions she might not want to know the answer to.

Kakashi spotted Hinata next to them and shot her a look that was part sympathy and something that was undecipherable. Sakura clung to Kakashi's shoulder giggling quietly, not noticing Hinata until Kakashi gave Sakura a look that made Sakura be quiet all together.

Hinata walked away, smiling to herself. She wondered if her mother was still awake as she wanted to tell her about the latest installment in her mission.

Finally reaching the Hyuuga Manor gates, Hinata opened the door to the manor to hear quiet weeping. She crept through the parlor to find her mother in a heap on the kitchen floor. She rushed over, comforting her mother by finding her face in the lump that was her body and looking at her eyes.

"What happened, mother?" Hinata asked quietly.

"Hiashi, he, he was-" her mother blubbered.

Hinata froze. Hiashi was her father. The only reason her mother could be so traumatized is if he-

"Papa!" She suddenly wailed, tears now freely flowing down her face. She remembered him when she was about five years old, pulling her legs into place to teach her the classic Hyuuga stance, and him tapping her on the shoulder every time she got out of place. She remembered that when she passed the Academy Exam, and passed through the line with her certificate, he gave her his headband, a sign of true pride.

However, she also remembered that whenever Neji was in the courtyard training, he would look wistfully at him. Once, she had eavesdropped during a Hyuuga branch meeting, and heard that after Neji's father died, her father wanted to take him as his son. Obviously, the rest of the clan said no, as Neji was a second branch Hyuuga. She remembered him being extremely angry, and slamming the table in protest.

Hinata cried out in pain, realizing that what her father really wanted was her cousin, and that he was never really proud of her. She ran to her bedroom and slammed the door. Hinata sat at the foot of her bed, her head in her hands. In seconds, they were covered in tears. A lantern turned on outside of Neji's room across the courtyard. A door opened and Hinata heard quiet voices.

"Poor Hinata. She doesn't even know that Hiashi was murdered by that heartless Uchiha Sasuke." A voice said with malice outside of her open window. Hinata stopped her tears for a moment to listen.

"The scum is already on the run. Of course, Naruto is defending him, saying that Hinabi-sama was provoking Sasuke and that he attacked Sasuke on fake grounds!" Her cousin explained. A stab of grief hit Hinata. Naruto still had a soft spot in her heart, but to have him linked to her father pained her in a way that was indescribable.

"I saw him exchanging intel with an Akatsuki. I know it." Neji told the person next to him. "It doesn't matter any matter now. He's a fugitive now, and he deserves to die."

Hinata's eye poured more tears. Could any of what Neji said possibly be true? Or anything Naruto said, for that matter?

Hinata didn't care at the moment. All she knew was that her father was dead.

**A/N:**

**For the sake of the story, Hiashi taught Hinata when she was young, Not Kurenai.**


	5. Chapter 4

The Messenger Chapter 4

Hinata spent the rest of the moonless night with her mother. They held each other and wept; soaking their clothes and wailing so loudly their relatives couldn't sleep. Of course, all the Hyuugas were in pain. Hiashi was the head of the clan. But there would be no doubt that Hiashi's direct family would be the last to end their grief.

When the sun rose the nest morning, Hinata found herself on the kitchen floor next to her mother, who lay in a heap. Blankly, she rose from the floor and picked up her mother and walked her to her bedroom. Her mother's bed wasn't made. Her father's sides of the sheets were still undone. New tears graced Hinata's cheeks as she set her mother down on her bed.

Hinata let her mother stay in her dreams, assuming that they would be much better than reality at the moment. She snuck out quietly, going to her bedroom to change out of her tear-covered clothing. Hinata opened her closet and picked out a new lavender jacket. She heard a rustle in her pocket as she put the jacket on. She pulled out a piece of paper, presumably the message from Lady Tsunade.

_My condolences about your father. He was a great man. Now, more than ever, I need you to continue relaying messages with Gaara. And it's not just me who needs you. It's more like all of Konoha. Ok, maybe not all of Konoha, but you know what I mean._

-Tsunade

New tears fell onto the paper, running the ink together until it was illegible. She zipped up the coat, and returned to her bed. She lay down sobbing, and probably ruining the coat she had just put on. It didn't matter. She shut her eyes forcefully, and demanded of herself that she wouldn't think about her father. She saw a flash of his worn face and his stern eyes, but suddenly her mind went blank.

There was no emotion or pain. In a word, she felt "numb". It was better than pain, but Hinata felt bad to cover her grief. She decided that no emotions were better than emotions that hurt too much to feel.

Hinata slept peacefully during the day. She woke rested and saw that it was twilight. Vacantly, she lifted herself off of her bed and checked the time. 6:32. It took about four hours to get to Suna by foot, so if she left now, she could be on time. She opened her bedroom door to see her sister in front of her. She was about half of Hinata's height, and had long black hair like hers. Tears fell down her face as she ran to Hinata.

"Hanabi-chan…" Hinata whispered, as she stroked her sister's hair. Hanabi clung to Hinata's thigh and sobbed.

"Onee-san, Papa…" she wailed. Hinata was hit with a pang of grief unlike anything that happened last night. It was if all of the heartache she had bottled up that day was being released in one huge blow. She bawled unlike anything before, holding her sister as they both cried together. Hinata got down on her knees and stared at Hanabi, Byakugan to Byakugan.

"Imouto, do you know what Papa has always wanted?" Hinata asked quietly, tears still running down her face.

"Hmm?" Hanabi wiped her eyes and sniffed.

"He's always wanted for y-you to be the heir. I've never been the strongest, Imouto. But you have the potential to be amazing," she said, putting her hands on her sister's shoulders.

"Really, Onee-san?" Hanabi was amazed. She had always figured that she was stronger, but for her to be the heir to the clan was much more that she had realized her father wanted. Hinata smiled a weak smile and nodded.

"So if you're going to be the heir, you have to be strong and brave. I know it's what Papa would have wanted." Hinata said through tears. "Hanabi-chan, I have to go. I'm so sorry."

Hanabi clung to her sister even tighter. "No, onee-san!"

"Please, Hanabi. It's for the Hokage. Be strong for me while I'm gone." Hinata pulled her sister off her thigh and kissed her forehead lightly.

"I'll always love you. So will Mama." Hinata whispered, tears once again falling freely. Hanabi stood helplessly as Hinata rushed out of the manor and muttered, "Me too."

* * *

Hinata wondered as she jumped through the trees if her sister really would be ok. Hanabi was only nine, and hadn't dealt with any real family trauma before. Sure, her father and mother got into fights sometimes, but they always ended up in compromise, sex or a combination of both.

Hanabi had the potential to be great. She was already grasping the concept of chakra lines, and it had taken Hinata at least until she was eleven to understand them. Hanabi was also incredibly fast. Kurenai was a very good teacher, no matter the circumstance was with her. Hanabi especially worked well with Kurenai because they both had quiet, patient demeanors.

Hinata's eyes began to well as she thought about little, innocent Hanabi being tainted by this. She'd grow up with hatred against Sasuke, and maybe even Naruto. Everyone knew about Neji's heartbreak at the Hyuuga household. He and Sasuke had been together for about six months. Neji had gone to Sasuke's house to give him a gift for their six-month anniversary. He opened the door and saw Naruto kissing him, and Sasuke kissing back. Neji punched Naruto in the face, and Naruto went running off. Sasuke broke it off with Neji the next day. Neji was with TenTen now, but it was almost a legend by now, it was told so much.

Finally, Hinata had reached the Hidden Sand Village. She was crying as she dashed through the streets. Hinabi couldn't afford to be corrupted like that. When she got home that night, Hinata decided, she would give her little sister both sides of the story.

She gasped as she jumped through the now familiar window. She landed clumsily, and hunched over, quietly weeping.

"It's late, Hyuuga-san." Gaara said from the kitchen. He didn't notice that she was crying. "May I ask why you are not on schedule?"

Instantly, Hinata's mind went to a picture of her beautiful little sister. Then she thought of her cousin, who was more like her father's son than she was his daughter. She began to sob, her shoulders heaving. Gaara inched closer, curious about Hinata.

"What happened? Do you care to tell me?" Gaara asked cautiously. Temari had been like this a couple of times when Shikamaru was being especially dense. And when Gaara didn't choose his word carefully, he had big welts on the side of his head from her fan.

Hinata sniffed and got up.

"I'm so sorry, Gaara-san. You see, my father, he…" Hinata burst into tears again. Gaara immediately assumed that Hinata's father was dead, but to be sure, he asked. Hinata nodded, unable to speak.

"If it consoles you, my mother died when I was born." Gaara tried to sympathize with Hinata.

"Thank you Gaara-san. I do have a-a message for you." Hinata stumbled. She shakily took out the piece of paper out of her pocket.

"Be on the lookout for Uchiha Sasuke…" Hinata couldn't finish the rest of the message and started to sob once again.

"He killed your father, huh?" Gaara said menacingly. For a reason that Gaara couldn't understand, he felt mad at Uchiha for putting her in this state. Hinata nodded again.

"I'll be right back," Gaara said, an idea forming in his brain. Whenever he felt confused, he downed a bit of sake. That seemed to make things better. It would probably do the same to Hinata. (Author's note: Gaara can't get drunk. He can get buzzed, though.)

Hinata played out many possible scenes of her father's death. He could have been burnt, or stabbed, or ripped to pieces… The gruesome thoughts weren't helping. She fell to her knees and soon, Hinata was hyperventilating and couldn't see straight. Gaara walked in at that moment, and pulled her from the floor onto his lone red leather chair.

He held a porcelain tray with two shot glasses. He handed one to Hinata, who could smell the strong scent of alcohol from the tray. She shook her head.

"It'll make you feel better." Gaara insisted. Hinata sighed and took the glass. Gaara could still see fresh tears on her cheek. Something inside him told him to wipe them off, but he ignored the thought.

Hinata sniffed the drink, smelling the intense alcohol. The liquid was bright blue, which immediately turned a warning sign on in her head. But she crinkled her nose and threw it down her throat anyways. She coughed at first, tasting the bitterness of the alcohol. Then she tasted the sour lime and the sweet raspberry, intertwining with each other. She figured that the aftertaste was worth the bitter beginning.

"Wow, Gaara-san. That was…" Hinata mumbled.

"Good, right?" Gaara interjected. "That's another thing you can do if you can't sleep; experiment with drinks."

"Can I…. have another one?" Hinata asked carefully. She was already feeling relaxed. Gaara hesitated. By the looks of it, Hinata was not an experienced drinker, and his Blue Bomb had the alcohol equivelant of about three beers.

"I don't know, Hinata-san." Gaara said. "The Blue Bomb is pretty strong…" Hinata frowned. This made Gaara feel guilty in return. "Her father just died, let her have what she wants!" a voice said in his head.

Gaara shrugged his shoulder and gave Hinata his still full shot. She downed it with gusto. It rather scared Gaara that he could be creating a monster if he kept it up. Hinata giggled in response to his thoughts.


	6. Chapter 5

The Messenger Chapter 5

Gaara took the two sake glasses into the kitchen and placed them by the sink. Who knew that Blue Bombs took effect so quickly?! Of course, he had only experimented with himself, and wasn't able to be totally wasted. Hinata on the other hand... She was headed to Blackout Cliff at 80 miles an hour.

Hinata had turned a cherry red around her cheeks. She giggled at the sight of every little thing, and was finding Gaara increasingly attractive. Of course, he was already an amazing man to look at, but the alcohol just made him seem even better.

It seemed as if all of Hinata's problems had just flown away. She got up and stumbled to the kitchen.

"Hey, Gaara-san. What are you doing all alone over here? Are you fixing another Blue Bomb?" Hinata warbled, still keeping some of her manners intact.

"No, Hyuuga-san. You've had enough. I wouldn't want to disgrace both our villages." he said without making eye contact. Gaara couldn't help but notice how beautiful Hinata actually was. Her purple jacket was unzipped, and she wore revealing mesh underwear beneath it. He couldn't bare not to ogle her. Normally, he could resist such temptation, but for some reason, he chose to take Hinata's bait.

"Um, Hyuuga-san..." Gaara was caught off guard as Hinata approached him, her hips swaying with every step.

"What's with the formality, Gaara_-kun?_"Hinata said suggestively. She gave Gaara a smile and giggled.

Gaara blinked rapidly. There was a logical explanation for all of this. Hinata was drunk. A few girls in the Sand Village had confessed to him, only the ones who were brave enough to approach him, he noted. Every time, Gaara had turned them down. They weren't even a blip on his radar

But Hinata, at this very moment, was an enormous blaring dot on his radar. He stared into Hinata's endless eyes, getting lost in their milky demeanor. Gaara swallowed, turning red, a new sensation for him.

Hinata was dangerously close now. She almost tripped over herself, somehow making it seem sexy.

"Are you nervous, Gaara-kun?" Hinata whispered into Gaara's ear. Her hot breath crawled across his face. Hinata smirked.

Knowing that he had already given in, Gaara sighed and walked past Hinata, going into the living room. He dropped into his chair and squeezed his fingers against the bridge of his nose.

Hinata stared in disbelief. Did Gaara just walk away from her? She furrowed her brow and followed him. He was slumped in his chair, eyes closed. Sensing that another body was in the room, Gaara patted his knee.

"I want to tell you a story." He mumbled, his eyes still shut. Hinata was confused, but she complied and sat on top of him.

Gaara grunted, surprised at her weight. "Story time." Hinata said to herself. She giggled at her own remark.

"Yes, Hinata-san." Gaara said. "Story time.

"So as you know, Temari has moved to Konoha. It confuses me that she still calls herself a sand ninja, when she's obviously going to stay there. Anyways, she's married to Shikamaru now. And from what she's told me, she's also expecting a child." Gaara explained.

"Oh, that's fabulous! You're going to be an uncle!" Hinata exclaimed. Gaara nodded and continued.

"And Kankuro, I don't even know what happened to Kankuro. From what he's told me, he and his partner are doing fine."

"So he's gay" Hinata asked. Gaara nodded again.

"Yeah. I had always thought, what with the puppets and all. Anyways, before he left to wherever they went to... Actually, I think they might have gone to the Mountain Village, he told me something important.

"He said 'find a girl, and give it to her good, so she can carry on the sand sibling legacy.' So now I'm the only person in my family who's still single."

Hinata began to giggle uncontrollably.

"You know Gaara, I bet that Kankuro meant that as a joke." she said, beginning to hiccup.

"Really? I kind of took it in stride." Gaara said, brow furrowed. Hinata giggled even more.

"Do you even know what 'give it to her' means, Gaara-kun?" Hinata said through a mix of hiccups and giggles.

"Um..." Gaara's eyes squinted in concentration.

"You're so cute when you're confused, Gaara-kun. Hell you're cute whenever you're doing _anything._" Hinata gasped. She had just said two things that hand never come out of her mouth before. Even when superbly drunk, Hinata still had a sense of morals... somewhat.

"Uh, okay-" Gaara was interrupted by Hinata's lips on his. They were still bitter from the taste of alcohol, but otherwise they had a warm, sweet feel to them. Gaara's eyes burst open in surprise. He took Hinata's shoulders and pulled her off of him.

"What was _that_?" Gaara yelped.

"It was a kiss, dobe! Didn't you... like it?" Hinata said, slowly reverting to her timid state.

"Well, yes. It felt... good..." Gaara said quietly. He mimicked Hinata carefully and returned Hinata the favor, kissing her.

Hinata took the kiss, his thin lips on her full. She pulled him up out of the chair, moving her mouth in sync with Gaara.

Hinata poked his closed lips with her tongue, wishing entrance. Gaara, who was completely inexperienced in the subject, stood still and didn't respond to her insistent will.

Hinata pulled herself off Gaara. "Was this your first kiss?" She said, surprised.

"Um, technically it was my second." he said, still confused. Hinata giggled. He looked so innocent. Just like Hanabi.

Suddenly a nerve snapped in Hinata's brain. She said she would be home for Hanabi!

I-I have to go..." Hinata mumbled,backing away. She stumbled, falling onto her back. Gaara watched, unsure of what to do.

She was obviously unable to go on her own, but he had his own duties. Gaara frowned and walked towards her. He pulled her up from the floor and threw her arm around his shoulder.

"Let's get you home, Hinata-san." He whispered into her ear. She groaned in response as he jumped out the window.


End file.
